The palm at the end of the mind,
Beyond the last thought, rises
In the bronze decor,
 
A gold-feathered bird
Sings in the palm, without human meaning,
Without human feeling, a foreign song.
 
You know then that it is not the reason
That makes us happy or unhappy.
The bird sings. Its feathers shine.
 
The palm stands on the edge of space.
The wind moves slowly in the branches.
The bird’s fire-fangled feathers dangle down.—Wallace Stevens, “Of Mere Being,” Opus Posthumous

Wallace Stevens (above) was born on this date in 1879.

* * * *
Peanuts, the comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, debuted in nine U.S. newspapers on this date in 1950. It was called “Li’l Folks” at first.

* * * *
Rock Hudson died on this date in 1985. August Wilson died on this date in 2005.

* * * *
Mohandas Gandhi was born on this date in 1869. Groucho Marx was born on this date in 1890. Bud Abbott was born on this date in 1897. Graham Greene was born in 1904 on this date. Steve Sabol was born 74 years ago today.

* * * *
Jan Morris is 90 today. (She is still writing. BBC Two will broadcast a conversation between Jan Morris and Michael Palin on October 8.) Maury Wills is 84. Rex Reed is 78. Don McLean is 71. Avery Brooks is 68. Donna Karan is 68. Annie Leibovitz is 67. Mike Rutherford is 66. Sting is 65. “Englishman in New York” with Quentin Crisp:

Lorraine Bracco is 62. Kelly Ripa is 46.

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